


Born of Kindness

by teeniequeenofspace



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: Dalish Lore, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Original Character(s), Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-06-07 02:12:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6781174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teeniequeenofspace/pseuds/teeniequeenofspace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It had been almost twenty years since she saw him, and now memories of an ancient world surface again, threatening the entire world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Child's Play

18 years ago 9:24 Dragon

The Lavellan clan thought of humans as resourceful beings. They didn't view them with the usual distaste that most dalish elves shared. The clan would trade with humans and even settled nearby their villages for a time. Eventually they settled nearby a village called Honnleath. The Lavellan Keeper's apprentice was only 10 when they moved. Her name was Astra.

Unlike her cold, frosty sister Cerise, Astra had always been fond of the shemlen people. When the clan had trades with them, she would always tag along. It would be no different at Honnleath. 

-

"Da'len, do you want to help with the trading today?"Keeper Deshanna asked the apprentice, who was giving the halla their breakfast.

"Of course, Hahren!" beamed the young child. Keeper Deshanna smiled at the child. She was a very promising student. 

"Astra, do make sure you're careful in the village. We don't know this town that well yet, so we can't tell if they're kind or not." Cerise called out to her fraternal twin. Astra rolled her eyes at her sibling

The two of them were polar opposites. Astra's freckled, rosy skin contrasted sharply with Cerise's ghostly pale complexion. Their eyes were nothing similar to each other either. Astra's were warm and golden, while Cerise's were icy blue and cold. Nothing contrasted more than the hair though. Cerise had hair that was whiter than freshly fallen snow. It shone brightly and was a stunning sight when the light caught it. Astra's hair on the other hand was a rich, smooth auburn hue. Preferences varied as much as their appearances too.

"That's why we're going, dear sister. This trade is to determine whether this village is safe or not." Astra teased, before turning back to the keeper. "How can I help, hahren?"

"Can you help set up under the tree by the well? The boxes are over to the left." Astra scampered off to the crates of trading items. She and a few others heaved the goods to the designated spot in the village.

-

In Astra's small, delicate arms was the last box that needed to be moved. She dropped the wooden crate next to the others, and wiped her forehead. 

"Thanks for helping out Astra." One of the traders said. The apprentice smiled and bowed her head. 

"No problem at all, lethallin." replied the young girl. 

"I think you should head back to Keeper Deshanna. Doesn't she have a lesson planned for you today?" The trader inquired. Astra groaned at not being able to stay longer. Nevertheless, she turned on her heels to head back to the settlement.  

She had just turned a corner when someone came hurtling at her. The two of them fell to the ground and Astra let out a shriek of surprise. 

"Maker's breath I am so sorry! A-are you okay? It was a complete accident I swear!" rambled the boy who ran into her. He had very curly hair the color of sunshine. He couldn't have been more than thirteen, a few years older than her. 

"I'm fine, thank you. Are you okay though? You fell too." Astra asked the boy in front of her softly. He stared at her with a face full of wonder for a few moments before snapping out of it. 

"Oh! I'm fine, thank you. Cullen Rutherford, future templar at your service!" The boy, now known as Cullen, answered happily, getting up on his feet. He took a way too serious bow after his introduction. It was kind of cute. One thing was wrong though. He wanted to be a templar. Keeper Deshanna had warned her about the Chantry soldiers. They were cruel to apostates, which was what she was. 

"Astricine Lavellan. Astra for short, though." she said with a smile on her face. 

"Can I call you Bunny? I think it suits you! They're small and adorable, and have cool ears, just like you." Cullen said with a warm smile. 

"You may, but only if I can call you Cully." Astra said, reciprocating the grin. Cullen reached out a hand to help her up and Astra gladly took it. When the two's palms connected with each other, a small static shock passed through them. 

"Agh!" The two of them cried out at the same time. Astra held her palm gingerly, before erupting into a fit of laughter. Cullen joined in soon after. 

"What, are we soulmates now, or something?" Astra snorted. Cullen's laughter escalated to something close to hysteria at that. 

"I guess so!" The curly haired boy chortled. After what seemed like ages the two kids finally reigned in their laughter. They talked and talked for hours about what happens in their lives. Astra was careful not to reveal her being the Keeper's First. She also learned about his siblings. 

"Will I see you tomorrow, my elfy wife?" Cullen teased playfully. Astra let out a small giggle at the boy. 

"Of course, my human husband."

-

"Where have you been? You were supposed to come back three hours ago!" came the scolding voice of Cerise. 

"Cici! I made a friend in the human village today! His names Cullen and he's super funny! Oh Cici, I've never seen anyone like him." Astra exclaimed, using a pet name for her sister that she used when she was younger. The look on Cerise's face was one of absolute horror. 

"Astricine Flosia Lavellan are you insane? He could've killed you! Who knows what that boy may have planned. Humans aren't to be trusted!" Cerise scolded again. Astra huffed a breath of annoyance at her twin.

"Cerise Acinia Lavellan, you're the only one in the clan that feels this way about humans so strongly."Astra grumbled, following her sister's use of full names. Cerise was about to retort, but the Keeper had walked up to the two. 

"Greetings, Hahren." The two said simultaneously. 

"Hello da'len. Astra, you're late for your lesson." The Keeper noted. Astra bowed her head in shame.

"Ir abelas, hahren. I got caught up in the village. I made a friend there." She apologized. The Keeper smiled in amusement. 

"A friend? That's very good. It's always helpful to make friends. Your lesson is still overdue though. Come along now."

-  
5 months later 9:24 Dragon

Astra's birthday had passed and she and was now a year older. Cullen, and Astra had become best friends since their meeting. Often, she would frequently watch the aspiring templar in his unofficial training with the few actual templars Honnleath had. Cullen was very adept from what she could tell, which only made it more important that Astra keep her magic a secret. 

Cullen had told her to come to the village on Wednesday, for he had important news to tell her that would be confirmed that day. Astra had no clue what it was, but it left a bad feeling in her gut.

She had just reached the lake where she and Cullen would meet up when the first rock was thrown. 

"Dirty knife-ear!" 

"Elvish whore!" 

The rocks and insults were thrown at Astra one after another. Boys who looked around seventeen seemed to be the ones attacking her. She crouched into a small ball, trying to protect herself. It only helped a little, before a rough hand yanked her up by the hair and started dragging her. 

They took her somewhere into the woods. They kicked and hit her everywhere. The eldest looking one pulled out a sharp, silver knife. Astra whimpered in fear, which earned her a kick in the back. What had she done to deserve this? Had Cullen betrayed her? Would he come to save her? She had never heard such cruel words before.

All of her thoughts were shattered as an extreme pain  erupted in her abdomen. Astra screamed out in pain and terror, before having a hand hold her mouth shut. The knife sweeped across from her hip to under her belly button. Astra clutched her hand to her stomach. The pain was excruciating and she could hardly think at all. The only thing that she could comprehend was the screaming pain in her stomach. 

"Astra!" shouted a familiar voice in the distance. The thugs scattered off back to the village, avoiding capture. With the little strength she had left, Astra raised her head up to see Cullen running to her, eyes wide with fear. The young girl had a long, deep cut on her stomach and she was bleeding so much. "Maker's breath.."

"Cully.." she whispered as he put his arms around her, preparing to carry her bridal style.

"Bunny, where's your clan?" Cullen asked, his voice breaking. Astra closed her eyes for a few seconds. With the training she had so far of elven nature magic, she had a sense of where things were if she needed to know. 

Weakly, she raised her arm and pointed northeast. Cullen wasted no time in starting to carry her there. He was amazed at how small and light she was. Petite and frail. 

\- 

"Astricine!"

"Astra!" 

The clan echoed her name. Cullen clutched onto his friend, blood staining his tunic. The bleeding had lessened a bit, but not much. He was still scared for her life. 

"Where's your healer?" He cried out. Astra had passed out on the way there and her breathing was getting shallow. 

"Right here. Help me get her on the bed." Instructed Keeper Deshanna, weaving through the crowd. Cullen did as asked and set the Apprentice gently on the leafy cot. "My boy, thank you for bringing this child back home, but we need to have as much space as possible. One of our people will give you a clean shirt."

Cullen nodded meekly and stepped out of the tent. Almost immediately, a small, pale fist grabbed his collar. 

"What happened to my sister? Answer me! Do you even realize how important she is? Astra's the clans First!" yelled the stranger furiously. Cullen stuttered helplessly. He had no idea what a First was, he just wanted to make sure Astra was alright. Astra's sister loosened her grip on Cullen's collar. The curly haired boy noticed that she had started to cry. 

"You dumb humans, this is why I can't ever trust your people. Everything they do is for their own amusement." She said, wiping away the tears that were spilling over her cheeks. "Come on, let's go get you a new shirt." the scary girl grumbled. 

-

"You can go see her now." A voice said behind Cullen. He immediately got up from his seat, and followed the Keeper to Astra's tent. The sight of her broke his heart. 

She was so pale and weak looking. Bruises had formed all over her body and her stomach was covered in bandages. Some blood had seeped through, staining the white around her abdomen. What happened would leave a scar that would stay for they rest of her life.  How could the world be so cruel?

"Cully, you're still here.." Astra croaked out, a faint smile gracing her lips. Cullen grasped onto his best friends hand and grinned brightly. 

"'Course I would be, what kind of best friend would I be if I didn't?" That brought a weak laugh from Astra. "Bun, I have super good news. There was a templar Knight-Captain in the village last week, and he saw me training. He was so impressed by my hardwork that he would let me join the templar order! Isn't that crazy?" 

Astra smiled as wide as she could at Cullen's story. Inside though, she was trying not to cry. Any friendship between them now was forbidden. If Cullen found out about her magic, who knows what could happen. Astra knew he'd have to leave too, and Creators know if she'll ever see him again. Still, she couldn't help but feel happy for her friend. His dreams were coming true.  

"That's great Cull! You're gonna do great there, I know it. Promise you'll remember me?" Astra she murmured softly. 

"I'll always remember you, Bunny. Best friends forever, right? Wait. I have something to prove it. I found it in the river and I knew you'd like it." Cullen fished into his pocket to search for something. In his tanned fingers held a beautiful stone. It was translucent and was a soft,pale, pink rose color. It was magnificent. Quickly, Astra withdrew her hand and twisted off the ring on her thumb. It was wooden and had engravings of halla on it. It was a simple thing, but it was a wondrous thing. 

"For you, too. So we're connected even when we're ages away from each other." Astra smiled, placing the ring onto his thumb. 

"Even when we're ages away from each other." Cullen repeated, softly smiling at the ring he had been given. "I'll miss you, Bunny, you're the greatest friend I could ever have. I'll see you again as soon as I can."

"I'll miss you too, Cully. Dareth shiral, safe journeys to you."


	2. A Betrayal, a Warden, and a Memory

7 years later 9:31 Dragon

After what happened in Honnleath, living near the village was deemed unsafe, and the clan had migrated away from the village.

The stone that Cullen gave to Astra reflected the stars on it's glossy surface. As it dangled from the bracelet she attached it to, she couldn't help but miss the curly haired boy. It'd been seven years since she last saw or spoke with him. No letters or anything like that. Astra felt abandoned. Her heart ached at the feeling of how her best friend probably doesn't even remember her, while he is on her mind all the time.

When dawn broke, the twins would ready the halla for travel, as they were to migrate again today. The clan was planning to return to the Free Marches, having spent 7 years away from their primary range and to escape the ensuing Blight. When the would arrive at the Free Marches, the twins would recieve their vallaslin. Astra had conferenced with the keeper, and they had agreed that Astra would recieve the markings of Mythal.

In the bed next to Astra, she heard her sister shuffle around. She turned her head toward Cerise, and saw that she was getting up. It was strange though, it was the middle of the night and her sister was walking as if in a trance. Silently, Astra got up as well, to follow her twin.

Cerise had walked all the way to the roaring river that was east of the camp. It was one that dropped off in a waterfall. Astra hadn't the slightest idea why Cerise had come here. The river was much too fast to cross and they had to move the next morning. Then she saw a sight that she didn't expect to see in a thousand years.

Her sister froze part of the river. It was something that was impossible. Cerise was not a mage, if she was her magic should have shown up years ago. She shouldn't have been able to cast any spell. Something about Cerise had changed, and Astra was torn on whether it was divine or demonic.

"Cerise? How did you do that?" Astra called out softly. Cerise spun around to face her. Astra gasped when she turned around. Cerise's eyes were glowing. Literally glowing. Her cold, blue eyes radiated light that shone into the night.

"Tel'din mya, Adi'nicia. Ma ema no atha in min shiral." Cerise said in a flat, distant tone that didn't sound of her. "Forgive me for this, sister." She said in a broken voice, her voice. Cerise turned back to the river and ran across the ice. Astra tried to chase after her but the ice broke under her feet. The last thing she saw was her sister's back and frost particles floating around her hand before she was swept away by the river.

The water was freezing and it took everything to keep Astra's head above the water. She was getting weaker and weaker by the second and the current was too fast and wild to try to get out of the river. Astra started panicking, she would either drown, or get crushed from the drop of the waterfall.

The ledge of the waterfall was approaching quickly and Astra was almost out of options. Fire magic wouldn't help in a river, lightning would shock her, she hadn't learned ice magic yet, and nature magic wouldn't work since there weren't any trees nearby.

Suddenly, a desperate thought crossed her mind. A barrier! She could cast a barrier on herself when she dropped from the waterfall, maybe she could survive that. It was better than nothing.

With the last of her strength, Astra cast a barrier around herself just as soon as the water fell off the ledge. She passed out as soon as she hit the bottom of the waterfall. Atleast she wasn't dead.

-

Astra awoke bundled in blankets beside a warm fire. Every part of her body was sore and screamed in pain if she moved too fast, but nothing was broken. Her mouth was dryer than the Western Approach and the light of the fire gave her a headache.

Slowly, Astra pushed herself up, being careful not to cause her muscles strain. Barely surviving a waterfall takes a lot out of you.

"Maker's breath, she's awake!" gasped a voice somewhere nearby. Instinctually, Astra whipped her head in the direction of the voice, immediately regretting it. She clutched her palm to the back of her neck, trying to soothe the stressed muscles there.

The male voice made a wincing noise at Astra's neck. "Oh dear, don't strain yourself please. I guess that was mostly my fault though, oops." said the stranger. Astra, looking at him for the first time now, stared at him. Blonde hair, heavy armor, Fereldan accent. If you had just survived being abandoned by your possibly possessed sister and falling off a waterfall, you'd be delirious and jump to conclusions, so you can't blame Astra for what she did next.

"Cullen? Is that you?"

"Cullen? Sorry to disappoint, but I am no such man." The not-Cullen had apologized. Astra examined him more clearly. He definitely was not Cullen now that she looked at him with a clearer mind. His facial features were too sharp, hair too straight, eyes too chocolate to be her Cullen's.

"Forgive me! I was a bit shaken from the fall and mistook you for a friend I have not seen in years. If it's not to much to ask, who are you actually?" Astra asked, clutching the blankets closer to her, cheeks burning from embarrassment.

"That would be Alistair, the biggest bonehead of them all." came a deep feminine voice. Astra turned her head to look at the newcomer. She had hair of a raven and was wearing the garments of a Witch of the Wilds. Astra could feel the powerful magic emanating from her. Beside her were two other women. One had short, ginger hair and the other had long, cinnamon curls. The curly haired one had fair skin and had a sense of regalness to her. She was beautiful.

"Oh Morrigan, dear, please be gentle on Alistair he's only a pup." The mystery queen teased with a warm smile. Her voice was Fereldan and was as smooth as velvet. Astra was certain she was royalty, such grace could only be explained by that.

"Thank you, my dear, I'll buy you the finest cheeses when we come back home." Alistair gushed. The ginger one snorted at him.

"Is that gift for you or for me, Alistair?" The curly haired woman grinned. Alistair was about to reply but she cut him off. "Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Aiora Cousland. I am a Grey Warden along with my love, Alistair. This is Morrigan and Leliana. How are you feeling? Can you tell me about yourself?" She introduced.

"My name is Astra of the dalish clan, Lavellan. I am Keeper Deshanna's first, we were about to return to the Free Marches, but I had an incident with a sibling and a river. I don't really have much of a story to tell, forgive me. May I ask how long I have been asleep?"

"Three days. We were starting to worry you weren't going to wake up. I went to get water for camp and then I saw you floating unconscious down the river. Zevran over there was the one who carried you here." Leliana explained. Astra looked over at Zevran and saw that he was an elf too. He had sandy blonde hair and sun-kissed skin. On the left side of his face were black tattoos.

"And I must say, it was quite the pleasure." The elf winked with a sly grin. Astra felt her cheeks heat up again and quickly turned her head away. Aiora giggled at the exchange, before standing up again.

"You must be famished, Astra. Come on, we're going to have a ladies' night.

-

"So tell me about this 'Cullen' of yours, Astra." Aiora suggested. Astra smiled and looked down at her bracelet.

"He was my best friend when I was younger. He didn't dislike elves unlike most people, we even had a running joke about us being soulmates. Cullen saved my life before, you know, then he left for templar training. I never saw him since, I miss him, a lot." Aiora listened to Astra's story and thought about something. She thought about the circle tower and the last remaining templars.

"Astra, did your Cullen have curly blonde hair and brown eyes? Was his last name Rutherford?" Astra gasped at the question. Creators, had Aiora met Cullen?

"Yes! Yes to all of them. Have you seen him? Is he doing okay?" Aiora looked away from Astra, finding the mud on her boots suddenly very interesting.

"Unfortunately, no. The Circle Tower we met him in was overrun by demons. Cullen was tortured in a magical prison. Your friend may be very scarred from the whole experience. I'm very sorry." Leliana apologized.

The elven mage felt herself deflate at her words. "Oh, I see. I wish I could be there for him. It's best if I stay away though, a mage is the last person he would want to see right now."

"I'm sure Wynne has brighter stories about him. You can ask her about him later." Leliana cooed.

"Thank you. Will you all help me to my clan? They've probably thought I deserted them and I should get back before I'm cast out."

"You only need to ask. We'll leave in the morning" Aiora answered. The elf cast her arms around the grey warden in gratitude. Countless 'thank yous' were strewn from her lips.

-

When the morning rays shone on the camp, Astra was already awake. As lovely as Aiora's group was, she had a duty to her clan and missed them dearly. She was ready to get back to them.

"Why up so early, my dear?" came a new voice from behind her. Astra turned to see who it was. An older women in mage's robes. She guessed this was the 'Wynne' Leliana spoke about.

"Couldn't sleep, I had too much on my mind."

"Care to share with an old woman?" Wynne spoke jokingly. "It'll get a lot off your chest." The Keeper's First laughed and sighed.

"I'm just thinking about my family and one of my best friends. I was told that the Circle Tower he was at was attacked by demons." Astra confided.

"Can you tell me about him? Maybe I knew him."

"His name is Cullen Rutherford. He's a templar with curly, blonde hair. Did you ever see him at the tower?" the elf asked softly. Wynne pondered about it for a moment, before responding.

"Yes, yes I believe I did. He was a very nice young man from what I've seen. He was fresh out of training, he had only been a templar for a year when I left. He often spoke of a girl named Bunny, he seemed very fond of her. Cullen wasn't very good at conversation, though. He'd stutter and he was an absolute nervous wreck sometimes. He would fidget with a wooden ring on his thumb. I never quite made out what the carvings were but they seemed to be deer?" Wynne described. Astra drank in every word the mage spoke. She wanted to fill the six year old absence of her friend. By the time Wynne had finished, Astra was in tears.

"I was Bunny, that was his nickname for me. And that ring? I was the one who gave that to him, it's engraved with halla. I can't believe he kept it after all these years." She said, wiping. tears from her eyes. She was certain he had forgotten about her. The older mage smiled at the younger and held out her arms. Astra gladly took the offer and hugged the Circle mage.

"He cares a great deal for you. I truly hope the two of you find each other again, dear." Wynne crooned. The elven mage clutched tighter onto Wynne, murmuring expressions of gratitude.

"Oh my, Wynne what have you done to the poor thing?" Morrigan questioned, walking up to them.

"Nothing that concerns you, Morrigan." Wynne said crossly. Morrigan sneered at the elder mage, before turning her attention back to Astra.

"Walk with me, I have something important to discuss with you," She announced to the elf. The two then walked to the edge of the camp, a place where few would hear them. "I sense a tremendous potential in you. There is a great power within you, and I invite you on our journey. Someone like you could be very useful to our cause, and when this is over, I could even help you harness it." Offered the Witch of the Wilds. Astra was taken aback by Morrigan's statement.

"Me? I'm just a normal mage. And even if I did have such a power I'd still have to refuse." Astra replied. Morrigan raised an eyebrow at her, clearly dissatisfied.

"You refuse? You would be terribly foolish not to accept. If not properly trained you could be destroyed."

"Forgive me, I should have specified why I cannot go. I have a duty to my clan as the next keeper. To leave them for so long would cause disarray." explained the lithe elf. Morrigan huffed, seeming apalled, but quickly regained her composure.

"Very well then. I suppose these things can not be avoided. I pray to your..Creators that everything goes well for you." Morrigan said. Astra smiled at her respect for her beliefs. To the dark-haired mage's horror, Astra had hugged her.

"If a problem ever should arise, I'll come to you, Morrigan."

-

"We saw you hugging Morrigan, you should consider yourself blessed that you weren't turned into a toad." Alistair teasingly scolded. Aiora pinched his side, chiding him.

"My love, Morrigan can be a kind woman if you take the time to talk to her." Aiora chastised.

"Oh, we talk alright." The sandy-haired knight grumbled. Aiora giggled sweetly at him.

"Ugh. Lovebirds." Leliana groaned teasingly beside her. Astra and Aiora's group had been working their way back to the Dalish camp. It turns out that Astra was farther from home than she'd anticipated. She and her company had gotten along quite well, though.

"Astra, when we get back to your camp, is it okay if we stay there for a while?" Aiora had asked her. Astra gasped and beamed at her.

"Of course! You can meet the clan! We're not too far, now. Look up the hill, you can see the red sails from the aravels!" Astra squealed. She was so eager to get home. She wanted to assure them that she was alright. The group quickened their pace to reach their destination faster. And then they made it.

-

"Astricine! You dare come back to us, Harellan?" A clan member yelled at her. She shrank at the accusation. Zevran was about to stand up for her but Leliana stopped him.

"No no! I am not a betrayer! I didn't want to be gone. Cerise was chasing something and I went after her. I was careless and fell into the river. Ir abelas, for I have caused you many unpleasant feelings." Astra cried out, voice breaking in the middle. She would not condemn her own sister. She was her last family, and cherished her. She could not betray Cerise as she had done to her. She noticed the Keeper running up to her, pushing past the crowd.

"Astra! You've returned! If what you say is true, then what's happened to your sister?" Keeper Deshanna asked her. Astra faultered for a moment.

"I don't know. I was rescued by these people, and when I awoke there was no trace of Cerise." She mourned. Worry covered the Keeper's face. Nervously, Keeper Deshanna wrung her hands.

"Oh Creators..She can't defend herself, she's barely started training for defense." She murmured. Astra felt herself freeze for a second, ironically. Memories of her sister's ice magic flashed across her mind.

"I'm so worried, Hahren." Astra whimpered, swallowing the metaphorical lump in her throat that came from lying. The dalish keeper grasped at Astra's face, checking for any injuries. Her hands jumped back when she had just noticed something.

"Astra, your eyes! How are they so blue? They were amber last I saw you!" cried Deshanna in astonishment.

"They're what?" Astra exclaimed. Morrigan shuffled next to her and handed her a small, handheld mirror. She held the decorated, reflecting glass in her trembling hands, and sure enough, her irises had a ring of cold, icy blue surrounding a smaller ring of amber. The blue matched her sister's frosty gaze. "How can this be? I don't understand."

"Maybe we can discuss this later, can you introduce me to your friends?" Deshanna asked her, putting a hand on the First's back. That made Astra pipe up. She herded her companions closer to the Keeper, as all the other clan members retreated back to what they were doing. 

\- 

"Is Astricine your full name?" Aiora asked her. She and her company were situated around fire, enjoying the meal that the clan had prepared. Astra nodded at her. "Does it mean anything?" Aiora questioned once more.

"It means 'warmth of the Stars' in elvhen. Deshanna says that my mother loved the name." Leliana shifted her position so she was facing Astra. 

"What do you mean? Is she no longer with us?" the Orlesian bard asked softly. Aiora scooted in closer to the elf too.

"Can you tell us more about your family, Astra? Also, very beautiful name."

Astra laughed a bit at Aiora's quickly tacked on compliment, before looking down. "My mother died in childbirth to me and my sister, Cerise. Deshanna told me that she had fallen in love with a wanderer. He didn't belong to a clan or alienage, he had always been wandering. The day he met my mother was the first time in a long while that he had chosen to stay somewhere. She said that the clan thought he was suspicious, but his love for my mother was apparent, and they tolerated him. Then me and my sister were conceived. My clan then started considering letting him join. They never got to decide on an answer though, because my mother had grown ill at the time me and my sister were to be born, and she wasn't strong enough to survive. My father didn't find two of his babies reason enough to stay and left, I suppose to keep wandering, or maybe he found somewhere finally. Keeper Deshanna did tell me that he had held the two of us for hours in privacy, a distance from the clan, so I believe he did care about us."  
The group mulled over her story, and Aiora's mabari, Orion, laid his head in the Dalish's lap. Astra absentmindedly stroked his fur. 

"How did your sister get her name? Cerise means cherry in Orlesian." Leliana asked again. Astra laughed at the irony of her sister.

"You're probably thinking she has red hair like you, Leliana, but no, that is not the case at all. Cerise can almost blend into the snow, she is identical to the stuff. Very pale too, I don't know how she manages it, as Dalish, we're out in the sun nearly all the time. My father was the one who named her. He was supposedly very into Orlais, and cherries were his favorite fruit." Astra explained, nearly chortling. Alistair teasingly scoffed. 

"I like think your mother was better at naming sentiments." He joked. That set the clan First into full on laughter. Sten stared at her oddly, but it infected the others. Aiora scolded Alistair but she was laughing as well.

"Can I say something about you two? I think the both of you are absolutely adorable together. I've never seen two people so in love before." Astra gushed. Aiora blushed and giggled a 'thank you' but everyone else groaned. 

"Sweet, yes but it's sickening. Alistair's jokes were awful but his flirting with her is even worse," Morrigan complained. "And you won't believe how loud they are at night!"

"Morrigan!" Aiora flushed red, covering her face with her hands. Alistair groaned out a 'sweet Andraste', and Astra snickered at them, along with everyone else.

\- 

"Astra, you mentioned that you lived near Honnleath for a while, right?" The female Grey Warden asked her. The elven mage nodded at her. Aiora beamed at her and grabbed Astra's small hands. "We're going there! Would you like to come with us?" Astra felt like her heart had been struck by lightning, it started beating so fast. It was like she was floating in air, she couldn't believe it. See Honnleath again?

"I have to ask." She answered, getting up in a dreamlike state. Astra drifted across the camp, to her Keeper's tent. Deshanna looked up at her, gently laying down the ancient elvhen scrolls she was reading. 

"What is it, da'len?" The Keeper asked her. Astra breathed in shakily, and stepped inside.

"The Grey Wardens have invited me to follow them to Honnleath. I request permission to go with them," Astr answered. Deshanna clucked her tongue and thought for a second.

"I don't know, Da'len. We have to leave soon, and the darkspawn are teeming through the forest."

"Honnleath is not that far, and I'm sure I could catch up to you all at the edge of the Waking Sea if I don't find you on the way. I will be safe with the Grey Wardens, and you are an experienced mage and we have many strong warriors and accurate hunters. You will be fine without me for a little bit." 

"Very well, child. Take Shiara, aswell. The Hart will be grazing with the halla."

"Thank you, hahren."Astra stepped out of the tent and took in a heavy breath. Honnleath, after seven years she'd see it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this is one if my weaker chapters but o well ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	3. The Stone Prisoner

9:31 Dragon

The sound of hooves beating the ground was heavy in the air. Astra and Aiora's company rode on towards Honnleath. Eventually the tops of wooden roofs came into view and the sound of screams could be heard.

"Oh, well at least we know this won't be an easy trip." Alistair sarcastically chirped.

"Is this common for you?" Astra asked them.

"Yes." grumbled Leliana beside her.

"Creators.."

The darkspawn were the most horrid thing Astra had seen. All of them had terrifying features and the stench. They all smelled like rotting flesh. 

The Wardens and Leliana cut through the darkspawn, with blades and arrows. Wynne and Astra were a bit farther, casting spells to fend off the darkspawn.

"You're very skilled as a mage so far." Wynne shouted to her.

"Thanks! Right back at you!" Astra answered, immolating a group of genlocks.

They eventually had finished off all the darkspawn in the area, and started to calm down.

"Well, now that's over with," Aiora sighed, cleaning her daggers and sheathing them. "Now let's just find that golem." 

Memories flashed in Astra's mind as she tried to remember where the golem would be. They pieced up a picture after some thinking, and she knew exactly where it was. 

"I know where it is." She announced to them. 

"Oh you do? Great!" Alistair cheered. She led the wardens through the village, drinking in her surroundings. Everything was almost exactly as she remembered. The only changes were from the darkspawn.  
She wondered if Cullen's family was okay. 

The golem was still as ugly as she remembered. It wasn't bad to look at, it was just really really scary. She never knew exactly that it was a golem, but now that she knows that there was an ancient dwarven relic here, it was pretty obvious. No statue would give off such an aura, they wouldn't even give an aura. 

"Maker's breath." Alistair gasped.  
Aiora stared in awe of the thing, before digging out the control rod. She spoke out the command word, but to recieve no results. 

"..Andraste's sacred knickers!" Aiora cursed. "Okay, Astra, dear friend, the word isn't working. So now we have to figure out why, would you like to come with us, or look around?" The female warden offered.  

"I'll look around."

"Okay, we'll be right back."

"Hopefully." Alistair added in. Aiora hit him in the arm. 

-

Astra didn't get to look too closely at the entrance of the town, for a swarm of darkspawn were charging at them, but now she could. Bodies hung from a crude noose, strung up there by the darkspawn. Two of them had strikingly familiar features to her. Curly, golden locks and strong noses. On even closer inspection she figured out who they were. 

Cullen's parents swang lightly on that wooden beam, strangled by the rope. The look of terror was still frozen on their face, rope digging into their fleshy skin.

She had met them a few times, years ago when she was still a young girl. They were always so kind to her, overlooking her pointed ears. They didn't deserve this. No one in Fereldan who was cut down, or strung up by the darkspawn deserved this. Cullen didn't deserve to have his parents be killed by such horrible beasts.

Astra stood there in vigil for them, whispering soft prayers to their Maker for an easy passing. She stood there until her mind started to create their terrified screams. As she walked through the town, she examined the faces of the human bodies strewn across the ground. She was looking for his siblings, but thankfully, they were nowhere to be seen. 

Everything being too much for her, she sat in front of the golem, frozen in action in a position that seemed hostile. For months that stone being sent chills down her spine. It was always unnerving to be around. But she waited, trying not to think about what the golem would be like when it woke up. The others were taking an awfully long time, and Astra couldn't help but worry about them. 

She rolled onto her side, covering her face to avoid seeing any bodies. The sun shone down onto her cheeks warmly, causing her to start to feel a bit drowsy. Eventually, her thoughts quieted enough for her to fall asleep. 

There was laughing. Cold, malicious laughter all around her. It boomed in the sky and echoed on the trees. She heard this laughter years ago.

Astra was small again. She was an 11 year old girl again, powerless and innocent. She knew exactly where this was going, she'd had this dream many times before. Unconscious flashbacks to when the only thing she was learning was the history of her people, barely any magic.

The ground scraped at her skin as she was dragged into the forest. Tall looming shadows stood over her, the size of mountains. They had devilish grins and abysses for eyes. Then the knife appeared. 

The blade was made of magma and the hilt of obsidian. It shone so brightly that it blinded her to look at. She couldn't even see when she was going to have the knife slice through her. 

A searing pain erupted throughout her entire body. Then like ice, a chill crept through her veins. She was immobile, frozen in place. She couldn't even open her mouth to speak. And in these dreams, always Cullen didn't come. But it had never been so intense before. She thought she had finally overcome these nightmares. They hadn't come in years.

"Foolish girl." A cold voice thundered from the heavens. That's when she started to scream. 

"Astra! Astra, Maker's breath wake up!" shouted an urgent voice, shaking her shoulders. Her eyes shot open, heart pounding like a drum. Aiora loomed over her, worry painted across her face. Astra sat up, bringing a hand to her face, and feeling a dampness. She'd been crying.  
"What happened?"

"A dream is all. Did you get the magic word?" Astra asked, trying to divert the topic from her. Leliana caught her drift, and answered.

"Yes we did, Aiora can say it whenever she's ready." 

"Oh, right. Dulen harn." Aiora projected, raising the control rod up to the golem. 

The golem rumbled as it regained control of itself. It bursted out of immobility, swinging its arms around. The giant stone warrior looked down at them.

"I knew there would come a day when someone would find the control rod, and of course there's mages!" It grieved. The golem looked over at Astra, inspecting her. "Oh, little elven girl, I remember you. You provided the most interesting thing that's happened in the last 30 years. I could hear your screams all the way from the forest. Tell me, did those demons leave a scar?" 

Astra couldn't breathe. Everything was bringing it up. The long, raised line of her scar burned like fire on her stomach, she clutched a hand to it to try and make it stop. 

"No." she mumbled out, turning away from them. She couldn't stay here so close to the golem, so close to everyone. Astra ran to where they tied their horses. Her hands grasped onto her hart's neck. She hugged the elvhen mount, feeding off it's support. She needed it. 

"Astra, you're still here! Aiora cried out with delight, approaching her with the rest of the crew, golem included. She felt herself shrink a little. "You okay friend?"

"Yes! Yes, are we going back to camp?" Astra asked her, urgency hidden in her voice. Wynne nodded at her, and everyone climbed onto their horses, the golem, Shale, following along.

As the group rode on, Astra decided on something. This had been a mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its getting to the inquisition part soon. I swear just one more chapter guys we can make it


End file.
